Has this ever happened to you? The car keys go missing, you can’t retrieve a once-familiar name or you’ve forgotten a phone number. You walk into a room with a purpose and then forget why.

In many ways, our memories shape who we are. They make up our internal biographies — the stories we tell ourselves about what we’ve done with our lives. They tell us who we’re connected to, who we’ve touched during our lives and who has touched us. In short, our memories are crucial to the essence of who we are as human beings.

Age-related memory loss, then, can represent a loss of self. It also affects the practical side of life. Forgetting how to get from your house to the grocery store, how to do everyday tasks, or how you are connected to family members, friends and other people can mean your ability to live independently. It is therefore no surprise, then, that declining thinking and memory skills rank among the top fears people have as they age.

We know that the ability to remember can fade with age. Many of these changes are normal, and not a sign of dementia. In fact, sometimes what people experience as a memory problem is really a “not-paying-attention” problem.

Statistically, only about 10 percent of the population develop dementia at some point in their lives. The possibility does increase with age and is common in very elderly individuals. However, it is not a normal part of the aging process.

What is common as people age is that the speed at which information can be retrieved on demand is slowed. Through most of our life, we had a wonderful gift. Information was retrieved instantly. As we age, we may lose a word that will be retained again, only not as quickly as when we were young. There are many causes for memory lapses. Here is a partial list:

The primary difference between age-related memory loss and dementia is that the former is not disabling. The memory lapses have little impact on your daily performance and ability to do what you want to do. Dementia, on the other hand, is marked by a persistent, disabling decline in two or more intellectual abilities, such as memory, language, judgment and abstract thinking.

Remember, only approximately 10 percent of our population ever experience dementia. Most of us experience normal, age-related memory loss.

Bonnie Holmes is president of Loving Health Care Inc. Although the well-qualified caregivers care for clients with many different types of needs, the specialty of the company is clients with dementia. For more information, call (864) 916-9204.

What a Story

Dear Editor,

Once, a long time ago, there was a country being formed from 13 colonies that would become the world’s greatest nation.

In those days, the men wore three-cornered hats, silver buckles on their shoes and knee britches. Called themselves The Sons of Liberty, while England’s ol’ King George simply called them those low-down sons of … weeellll do you remember reading about back in 1776 when the colonies were on the march to freedom, laying down a lot of hot licks?! “You’ll pay my tea tax,” said ol’ King George! “Not so,” said they! “We ain’t gonna pay, no sirree!”

Well they fought the British on the left and on the right. Fought in the day and in the night. “One if by land, two if by sea, and I in the old North Church will be.”

They yearned to be free. Liberty or death, no more no less, as the king and his subjects would soon see.

Lexington, Concord, Cowpens, Bunker Hill and the rest. They gave their best.

Some gave their lives — “no greater love hath any man.”

All for our great land!

Later we would have the Emancipation Proclamation and the rejoining of our divided nation.

World War I followed by World War II, along with Prohibition and the Great Depression .

The start of the atomic age with the dropping of the atomic bomb. Korea, the marching for civil rights in Birmingham, Nam, Kent State, Desert Storm, 9/11 and still we stand this great land that began so long ago in 1776, when a mere 13 colonies rebelled. Red, white and blue. Yellow, red, black and white, too.

All of the races contributing. That’s me and you.

Never take your freedom for granted, for freedom isn’t free. Many paid the ultimate fee. For them, raise your voices and yell “We will never forget! Because of you, we are truly free!”

What a great story written in the pages of history of the greatest nation that began when 13 colonies rebelled oh so long ago in 1776.

P.S. Happy 4th!

Eddie Boggs

Westminster

Encourage Alzheimer’s funding

Dear Editor,

At a cost of $236 billion a year, Alzheimer’s is the most expensive disease in the nation. Nearly one in every five Medicare dollars is spent on people with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. And these costs will only continue to increase as baby boomers age, soaring to more than $1 trillion in 2050.

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the U.S. that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed. Today, more than 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. And, barring the development of medical breakthroughs to prevent, stop or slow Alzheimer’s disease by 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s disease may reach as high as 16 million people.

Alzheimer’s disease is a growing crisis for our families and the economy. The federal government must address the challenges the disease poses and take bold action to confront this epidemic now.

I lost my father to Lewy Body Dementia in November 2010, only three short months after initial diagnosis. He was only 72 years old. There are 130,000 more Georgians suffering with Alzheimer’s and dementia and more than 500,000 more caregivers just like me. The time to act is now.

Please contact your local representatives and ask them to continue the fight against Alzheimer’s disease by increasing funding for Alzheimer’s research by at least an additional $400 million in fiscal year 2017.

Caroline Smith

Alzheimer’s Association

Georgia Chapter Advocate